$1 in 1785
is worth
$0.96
in 1787

Value of $1 from 1785 to 1787

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 1787 are
4.12% lower than
average prices since 1785.
The U.S. dollar experienced an average deflation rate of -2.08% per year during this period, causing the real value of a dollar to increase.

In other words, $1 in 1785 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $0.96 in 1787, a difference of $-0.04 over 2 years.

The 1785 inflation rate was -4.90%. The inflation rate in 1787 was -2.11%.
The 1787 inflation rate is lower compared to the average inflation rate of 1.43% per year between 1787 and 2020.

This conversion table shows various other 1785 amounts in 1787 dollars, based on the -4.12% change in prices:

Conversion Table: Value of a dollar in 1787

Initial value

Equivalent value

$1
dollar
in 1785

$0.96
dollars
in 1787

$5
dollars
in 1785

$4.79
dollars
in 1787

$10
dollars
in 1785

$9.59
dollars
in 1787

$50
dollars
in 1785

$47.94
dollars
in 1787

$100
dollars
in 1785

$95.88
dollars
in 1787

$500
dollars
in 1785

$479.38
dollars
in 1787

$1,000
dollars
in 1785

$958.76
dollars
in 1787

$5,000
dollars
in 1785

$4,793.81
dollars
in 1787

$10,000
dollars
in 1785

$9,587.63
dollars
in 1787

$50,000
dollars
in 1785

$47,938.14
dollars
in 1787

$100,000
dollars
in 1785

$95,876.29
dollars
in 1787

$500,000
dollars
in 1785

$479,381.44
dollars
in 1787

$1,000,000
dollars
in 1785

$958,762.89
dollars
in 1787

Inflation by Country

Inflation can also vary widely by country. For comparison, in the UK £1.00 in 1785 would be equivalent to £1.00 in 1787, an absolute change of £0.00 and a cumulative change of 0.00%.

Compare these numbers to the US's overall absolute change of $-0.04 and total percent change of -4.12%.

Inflation by Spending Category

CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1785 and 1787.

$1 in 1785 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $0.96 in 1787.

To get the total inflation rate for the 2 years between 1785 and 1787, we use the following formula:

CPI in 1787 - CPI in 1785CPI in 1785

×

100

=

Cumulative inflation rate (2 years)

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

9.3 - 9.79.7

×

100

=

-4%

News headlines from 1785

Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:

The Times is published for the first time by John Walter of London

James Hutton's theory of uniformitarianism is read in public at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

US currency named "dollar" and decimal coinage adopted by Congressional resolution

Data Source & Citation

Raw data for these calculations comes from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Consumer Price Index
(CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to
1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political science
professor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.

You may use the following MLA citation for this page:
“$1 in 1785 → 1787 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 7 Jun. 2020, https://www.officialdata.org/1785-dollars-in-1787?amount=1.

About the author

Ian Webster is an engineer and data expert based in San Mateo, California. He has worked for Google, NASA, and consulted for governments around the world on data pipelines and data analysis. Disappointed by the lack of clear resources on the impacts of inflation on economic indicators, Ian believes this website serves as a valuable public tool. Ian earned his degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth College.